The right Formula
Formula 1 season started not too long ago, but this time with brand new rules and even more constrictions. The greatest being the use of smaller, less powerful engines. Instead of the screaming V10s of the previous years, all cars have 2.4 litre V8s under their hoods, or in this case their carbon fibre monocoque chassis. My good friend, Colin Charles, had the privilege of going to the Melbourne Grand Prix this year, and he tool some spectacular shots, eventhough he was standing behind a stupid fence.
Why do you think they changed the rules? This is not a rhetorical question. Please comment! It may seem counter productive, because reducing engine power reduces speed, which reduces lap times, etc; and this would reduce the spectacle as a whole right? I watched a few minutes of this weekend's qualifying, and I noticed that the sound of the engines seem abit more docile, not like that beautiful scream of those V10s as they feel the pain of going past their own limits. I also noticed that the tachometer shown on screen was easily going past 19,000 RPM, which as I recall is not at all different from the V10s. So are the lap times slower? I really don't know. Please tell me. I can't be bothered to watch Grands Prix anymore!
Ferrari have lost their dominance ever since that tyre rule came about. Bridgestone could not produce a tyre that came close the Michelins. This could bring one to think that all the new rules were introduced to end Ferrari's dominance.
But are these rules really counter productive? I don't think so. In the long run, it will be beneficial not only to the teams, but to the whole automotive industry, and thus to us. The engineers are forced to take all the raw power out of those engines and convert it into sheer speed. And from what I saw this weekend, those V8s make me more excited than the old V10s. Just the thought of those V8s going even further past their limits than the V10s ever did makes me all tingly inside. This is what engineering and machine development is all about; maximising the output no matter what the constraints are.
So these new rules might just rekindle my interest in F1 (not to mention the other spectacles that F1 brings with it)..................................
note: my excellent friend rocks hard at his flickr site.
Why do you think they changed the rules? This is not a rhetorical question. Please comment! It may seem counter productive, because reducing engine power reduces speed, which reduces lap times, etc; and this would reduce the spectacle as a whole right? I watched a few minutes of this weekend's qualifying, and I noticed that the sound of the engines seem abit more docile, not like that beautiful scream of those V10s as they feel the pain of going past their own limits. I also noticed that the tachometer shown on screen was easily going past 19,000 RPM, which as I recall is not at all different from the V10s. So are the lap times slower? I really don't know. Please tell me. I can't be bothered to watch Grands Prix anymore!
Ferrari have lost their dominance ever since that tyre rule came about. Bridgestone could not produce a tyre that came close the Michelins. This could bring one to think that all the new rules were introduced to end Ferrari's dominance.
But are these rules really counter productive? I don't think so. In the long run, it will be beneficial not only to the teams, but to the whole automotive industry, and thus to us. The engineers are forced to take all the raw power out of those engines and convert it into sheer speed. And from what I saw this weekend, those V8s make me more excited than the old V10s. Just the thought of those V8s going even further past their limits than the V10s ever did makes me all tingly inside. This is what engineering and machine development is all about; maximising the output no matter what the constraints are.
So these new rules might just rekindle my interest in F1 (not to mention the other spectacles that F1 brings with it)..................................
note: my excellent friend rocks hard at his flickr site.
posted by Modern Milesian at 7:28 pm
4 comments
